1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a print controlling apparatus for controlling a printing process for a printer main body by communicating with a data processing apparatus through a predetermined communication medium. The invention also relates to a low power controlling method of such a print controlling apparatus and a computer-readable memory medium in which a program used for such apparatus and method has been stored.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, such a kind of printer, for example, a printer connected to a host computer is in a data standby mode when the printing operation is not performed. When the printer is in the data standby mode, the printer controller controls an operating mode of each section in a manner such that each block of the printer main body can immediately operate so as to enable the printer to immediately start a printing process when it receives a printing instruction from the host.
Since the conventional print controlling apparatus is constructed as mentioned above, an electric power is supplied to a data processor for performing a data communicating process with the host even in the data standby mode. There is, consequently, a tendency such that an electric power consumption of the whole printer is large in spite of a fact that the printing process is not executed.
On the other hand, a method of turning off a power supply in the data standby mode in order to reduce the electric power consumption in the data standby mode is also considered. In this case, however, the power supply has to be turned on when the printing operation is started and there is a problem such that a print processing time (particularly, a first printing time) becomes longer in an initial sequence (initial operation until a printer engine enters a printable mode) (it is waited until a trial driving or the like of an ink head is finished) or the like at the time of power-on.
The invention is made to solve the above problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a print controlling apparatus in which while periodically monitoring a data receiving state of a host computer, by shifting the power supplying mode to a low-power-consumption mode while executing a predetermined maintenance process each time before a power supplying mode is shifted to the low-power-consumption mode, an electric power consumption can be reduced in a printer standby mode where the apparatus waits for data from the host and a time that is required from the standby mode to the start of printing can be reduced. Another object of the invention is to provide a low power controlling method of such a print controlling apparatus and a computer-readable memory medium in which a program which is used for such apparatus and method has been stored.